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A to Z of Simple Sales Tips: N – NO can mean NOT YET

An old sales manager of mine would often say to me “For every customer who says NO to you, you are getting nearer to your next YES.”

Which is one way of saying selling is just a numbers game, where the more you ask the more you will ultimately get. Although, there is an element of truth in this theory – certainly, if you ask no-one, the chances are you will get no sales – I believe you can use your NO’s a little more strategically than that.

The reason I say this is because we need to always remember we are not selling to robots – indeed the person doing the selling isn’t a robot either. We are all human, and as such we have good days and bad days. How often have you woken up on a Monday morning and thought: “I don’t feel in the mood for selling today” I know I certainly have!

Well, unfortunately, your customers also wake up some days – and although they probably won’t consciously think “I don’t feel in the mood for buying today” – for a stack of reasons they are unlikely to say YES to you.

They may have just fallen out with their partner. They may have just received an unexpected bill. They may have been stuck in traffic.

Whatever the reason, the answer will be NO.

Because we’re not robots. We’re human.

So if you get a NO – don’t get down, don’t get despondent. Don’t throw in the towel.

Re-programme your brain to not hear the word NO, but to hear the words NOT YET.

Because if you have faith in your product/service, and you know your customer will definitely benefit from your product/service, then they will almost certainly buy from you one day. The trick is to make sure you are asking them on the day they are going to say YES.

And to do this you need to make sure you keep on their radar. So when they say NO, ask if it’s ok for you to call on them again in one/two/three month’s time. You’ll be amazed how many will say YES to this and if they do, what they are really saying to you isn’t NO to what you are selling, but NOT YET.

Watch out for the next Simple Sales Tip: O – Opportunities at every turn…